Man fatally shot by ICE was not the intended immigration target. What we know

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The man who was fatally shot by a federal immigration officer in Houston earlier this week was not the original intended target of the immigration operation that led to pulling him over in his van, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to USA TODAY.Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on July 7 after ICE attempted to pull him over shortly before 7 a.m. that day, as his family said he was starting his workday. Officials have said Salgado Araujo "weaponized" his vehicle against the agent.The shooting immediately sparked backlash and protest in the community."He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE," the man's son, Ronaldo Salgado, said on July 8.The DHS official said immigration officers received a "credible tip" from law enforcement partners about the intended target and conducted surveillance, noting two white vans at that person's address weeks before the shooting. The official said the agents were on their way to the target's address on July 7 when they "observed a white van with an individual who resembled the target" and initiated the stop.DHS did not say who the intended target was or whether officers took any measures to verify the identity of the target.Here's what we know so far about the shooting of Salgado Araujo:What has ICE said about the shooting?Officials previously said Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national and father of three U.S. citizens, had attempted to evade arrest and "weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over" an agent, who then fired in "self-defense."The latest fatal shooting by immigration authorities has echoes of previous incidents in the last year amid a surge in President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement actions, including the fatal shooting in Minneapolis of Renee Good and near Chicago of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez. In those cases, officials said vehicles were used to hit or attempt to hit agents."We’ve heard this excuse one too many times," said Domingo Garcia, a former president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.According to LULAC, which said it was in touch with Salgado Araujo's family, other workers were with him in the van when the incident happened and were detained.Man's family speaks out about hard worker pursuing American dreamSalgado Araujo’s family said the man was in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen and was "close" to obtaining legal status. Officials have described him as an unauthorized immigrant but did not answer specific questions about his status.Ronaldo Salgado called for a full investigation into his father's death. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has said her country is "preparing legal measures" because "we cannot allow the mistreatment of our brothers and sisters in the United States," the Associated Press reported.Salgado Araujo was a "hardworking, family man" who built homes in the Houston suburbs, his son said."He dedicated his life in the United States to giving his family the American dream," Ronaldo Salgado said.Contributed: Michael Loria